Commitment

I only have one life. We all only have one life. The question I keep asking myself is, “What am I doing with mine.” This post is targeted to those who are searching for something they don’t know how to find. It’s for all those who have lived long enough to know that they haven’t found what they are supposed to do with their lives and are as miserable as me with an ordinary life. Hopefully I can inspire someone to begin a search of their own to find what they have been looking for. I have been unhappy for years and have chosen to do nothing about it since I never saw myself leaving the small town I was born in. Squandering 24 years, I had done nothing at all to aid or improve humanity or myself until creating this blog. My determination to change that is the reason I have begun to search for some sense of meaning. Preparing myself mentally for life out in the real world is the hardest task I have ever burdened myself with. Though I know it is a necessary weight I must carry in order to become whoever I was born to be. I don’t know if there has ever been a plan for my life or if there is a God who laid a path for me. All I know is that I must believe that I belong to something significant; something with substance. Without some design or singular purpose to believe in we all may as well give up.

Fathers day being this past Sunday, I feel the need to acknowledge that without my old man, I am nothing. My father’s unwavering conviction has often been the inspiration I’ve needed to carry on with my life. Convincing myself it would get better every day even though my future appeared to me as forever grim and monotone. He has always told me that he truly knows I have a purpose without a single hint of doubt. I suppose the man has a right to believe after being a witness to me surviving countless obstacles throughout my life. Obstacles that were supposed to kill me and in all accounts, almost did. Without his belief that I will make a difference in this world I would not have even had the strength of will to begin what is sure to be a wondrous quest. The unhappiness in my life has slowly, continually been creeping in around me like a cancer threatening to break my will. Until my search commenced I was merely a drone going through the motions as I burned away constant days of my life. The fear of whittling away my existence at the hands of an omnipotent quick-handed clock had become all too real. Change was and is incumbent with my total lack of a purpose at this point in my story. Whatever I am meant to do with my life is just over the horizon and I fully intend to meet it when it rises. My broken soul and wasteful days will soon meet their end with any luck. Progression is all that is left. If we stop moving, if we stand still, time will swallow us up and leave us wondering what if.

“Learn to dream, live to learn.”- Chris Seeger

I would like to formally announce that I have made a decision that could change my life, for better or worse. In a few months, (after I’ve saved a bit) I will begin traveling abroad. After working a day job for as long as I can remember and hating every minute of it I decided something needed to change. The only way my life can progress is if I leave my home town that I have grown to both love and hate. It’s a big world out there and it’s calling my name. This planet has so much to offer that most people will never experience in life spans that get shorter every day. My personal opinion is that experience is life and life is made of memories only gained by experiences. I may seem like a wide eyed school boy lacking logic but the longing to be free and to explore isn’t so naive. Like I said, for better or worse I need to go on this adventure in order to, (if nothing else) be able to say that I tried it. I will continue to post to my blog as often as possible while on the road, though this won’t be happening for a few months. I’d like to share my adventures, mistakes and successes with all who wish to read them. Please comment and give me your thoughts, advice or just to say hi!

Along my journey of self-improvement and inspiration I discovered a profound truth that is already a well-known fact. The strength of will is true strength indeed. Though it is well-known, it is rarely used to it’s extraordinary potential. In a few of my past blog entries I have touched on will power but never went into depth. I have only recently begun to understand the true power of will myself. Basically will power is the ability to push one’s self beyond limits they themselves or others thought possible. This philosophy can be applied to anything in a person’s life. From the most menial daily task to a seemingly impossible undertaking, willpower can be used to improve one’s attitude and odds of success. It can even be used to improve a person’s happiness. Even though it has been a recognized human trait for hundreds, if not thousands of years, will power has been neglected because many people choose an easy path through life. In order to fully utilize will power one must accept a simple truth. The fact that they have the capability to complete or surpass whatever goal they want to achieve. Many people fall short of their goal because of limitations they set for themselves. We as humans are not perfect creatures by any means. The strength to continue on until one’s goal is accomplished is true strength of will. To pick one’s self back up after failing and trying until we surpass our goal is the peak of the human existence.

As of late I have been training my strength of will in order to surpass my own goals. From my daily workouts to my dedication to sit down and continue writing, will power has pushed me forward. The system I have come up with in order to meet and exceed the goals I set is very easy to understand and implement. For my workouts I tell myself I will run 1.5 miles. Once I begin running and hit that mark I keep going, forcing myself to run 2 miles. I continue pushing myself until I hit 2.5, then 3 and so on and so forth. Don’t push so hard you hurt yourself but also don’t settle for mediocre. Regrettably I must confess that throughout my entire life I have rarely pushed myself past the bare minimum. As I stated previously, I am just now, (at 24 years old) beginning to understand the true strength felt from actually applying one’s will. It takes years of intently training one’s ability to harness their willpower in order to surpass the limitations they have set for themselves. Though it is insanely tough now, I have a feeling once I finally do reach that point, it will all be worth it. Until recent months I had never grasped the saying, “You can do anything you put your mind to.” Now I push myself past my limits every day. As a result I have gained the strength to quit many of my bad habits, follow my passion for writing and massively improve the condition of my body. I suppose the lesson I would choose to leave my readers is to not set limitations for yourself. Breaking a limit set by yourself is terribly harder than knowing there are no limits. Push yourself to run that extra mile, put down that cookie, read a book and altogether improve yourself.

A few days ago I found myself involved in an stimulating dinner conversation about my blog with a friend. (Who shall remain nameless.) My friend had been previously informed about what I’m trying to accomplish with my writing and had read a some of my posts. In the midst of our sturdy opinions and personal beliefs during our discussion, he posed a question. A question that I believed, if answered, would aid my readers along their difficult paths to improvement. A comment I made about an unhealthy habit he was struggling to cope with caused him to tilt his head sideways, giving me a sarcastic smirk. As if to say, “Not everyone can just drop all their bad habits.” Apologetically I hung my head, personally remembering how long I struggled with the same habit. After a short awkward silence he asked me, “How do I get rid of so many bad habits?” The question rang through my ears like a buzzer on a game show, I had just selected the topic for my next post. Immediately I thought the question was coincidence. For the past couple of days my thought process had been centered on ways to make it easier for those with many unhealthy habits to quit. Though, like I have fore-mentioned, the road to improvement is difficult, and slow. I had basically zoned myself out of the conversation at that point while I pondered his simple question. Yet, at that dinner, another seemingly coincidental chain of events casually provided a solution for me. Our waitress took our plates and returned with our check. Essentially, the check was a list of items my friend and I had purchased. It hit me like a freight train. Why hadn’t I thought of it before? I looked at my friend who was in the process of signing his check and said, “Make a list.” He looked up inquisitively and said, “What are you talking about?” I pointed to the check and remarked, “Make a list. A list of all your bad habits off the top of your head.” His face began to show signs of discernment as he caught on to my idea. “Once you have a list of all your bad habits pick one. Only one, and cross it off.” He understood the entirety of my idea now. Smiling he gave me a hug and we went our separate ways; both feeling fulfilled.

Slow and steady wins the race. That dinner challenged me with a problem and inspired me to seek a method to solve that problem. Everyone has at least a few bad habits that need shaving down. Make your list. Pick one thing on that list and make a decision to quit that negative influence in your life. Once you are ready, and have quit the first thing you crossed off, move on to the next thing on the list. Just creating a list is only part of the answer. Hang your list on the fridge, your desk at work or on your car’s dashboard. Hang it someplace visible to you every day as a reminder of your change. Those who honestly have the desire to commit can make a difference in their life with this method. Committing and following through is the key. Continue crossing off your bad habits slow and steady and you will improve your quality of life.

My blog’s entire philosophy has been built on the constant and vigilant search for inspiration. Yet I have failed you, my ever-faithful readers. I have overlooked one of the most essential components required when hunting for what genuinely inspires you. Being able to identify inspiration when it presents itself. You may think, “I already know what my inspiration is.” You very well may, (know-it-all) although I doubt you understand it from my perspective, so listen up! Every person experiences inspiration differently. I for example, have always had an affinity for the water and nature. Some may be inspired by art, others inspired by music. Few may not even know what inspires them because they have never been able to interpret their true passion. The essence of inspiration is mercurial. It can be felt by all at any time and found even in the most unlikely of places. The concepts of inspiration are whatever you perceive as admirable, impressive, and beautiful. Visualize whatever skill or quality that you particularly excel at and you will find your true passion. There are no excuses on this one. If you truly wish to find your purpose you have to commit yourself. Everyone possesses some attribute that they can utilize even if they haven’t found it yet. Once you have uncovered your passion don’t let it go to waste. Practice that skill and craft it into your own identity in this world. Immerse your self in your passion and you are sure to be inspired. Do this and you will not only find inspiration from your purpose, you will inspire others to find theirs. Now that I have fulfilled my need to share my sound inspirational advice, go out in the world and find your design. I only ask one favor in return. Let me know what you discover. Please comment and tell me what inspires you. I wish you all luck in the enterprise for your ultimate truth.

How many times have you told yourself, “I will quit smoking?” How many times have you failed? Trust me, I understand the feeling. I can say without a doubt that when I finally did quit it was the easiest choice I ever made. It isn’t my goal to force anyone to quit smoking nor is it my place to criticize those who do. I merely wish to tell my story and hopefully inspire someone to make their own decision to quit. I smoked two packs a day for almost a decade. I quit in one day after trying to quit for years. I’m not trying to sell something or advertise brands for companies. The answer isn’t some magic drug or gum, or even those money pits called vapes. There is only one solution to quitting your smoking habit and you already know what it is. Will power. Simple, elegant, and is something that isn’t only affordable if you are rich or famous. Everyone has it but very few use it. I’ll admit that it took me getting repulsively sick (with something I can only describe as the worst flu ever mixed with a crappy cocktail of bronchitis) to actually find the will power to quit. I could barely get out of bed long enough to use the bathroom or eat anything. Turns out after the sickness had passed I had lost almost 20 pounds in one week. Undernourishment and not being able to hold down the little food I did eat took a toll. It was not a joyride.

I realized that the cigarettes had been destroying my immune system and shredding my lungs. I always knew smoking would kill me and I knew I would slowly deteriorate, but until I actually felt like I was dying I had no motivation to quit. I didn’t quit out of fear. I made an important choice the day I started to get better. A choice to instead of destroy my body and my life, to improve and amend my life. The best part about it was that it was an easy choice at that point. Will power is one of the hardest things a person can master. It is like trying to learn any other skill. It takes training and discipline. (Yes, I am trying to sound like an ancient kung-fu master training his students. It motivates the prospect of will power. Also, sounds more bad-ass.) The key to disciplining your will power is that you have to WANT to do it. Otherwise you might as well give up. I told myself that I wanted to quit so many times without actually committing. I can only hope that I made the choice to commit before I did permanent damage to my lungs and body as a whole. Life is what you make of it. Smoking shortens the already short life you have. Improve your life by enlightening yourself.

About a week after I quit smoking I started noticing that I could breathe a little better. I didn’t even know that I was having trouble breathing because it had been a decade since I had taken a fresh breath of air. About three weeks after I quit smoking I realized I was able to smell things with such vivid sensation and flavor that it seemed I had just been reborn into the world. It has been almost six months since I quit smoking. Not only did my sense of smell increase rapidly, my other senses started becoming sharper as well.

I have kept the 20 pounds off that I lost while I was sick. Now its all muscle considering now I can actually run further than a dead snail without gasping for breath. I have begun a workout regiment that includes running a few miles every day. I also quit drinking alcohol the same time I quit smoking but that’s a story for another post. (I’d rather ease you into the whole “crazy” will power concept that most people seem to struggle with.) In total I feel more energetic and fulfilled than when smoking controlled my life. I am proud of myself for having the dedication and willpower to quit cold turkey in one day and stay that way. Over the past six months I have worked on training my sense of willpower and have drastically modified my life for the better. The strength you feel when you aren’t enslaved to something like smoking is unbelievable. Improve your life by quitting smoking and the new world that will open up to you is endlessly rewarding.

Good day readers. This is the blog that everyone should be reading because it could very well inspire you to change your life. Everyone has ups and downs that may alter your day to day habits. Recently I re-evaluated my life and found that I was headed down a short path to self-destruction. I was a heavy drinker and had been smoking for almost a decade. My diet was basically made up of fat, sugar and more fat. It felt as if I was inviting diabetes and cancer to the party. So many decisions I have made have had a negative impact on my life. I was able to recognize these mistakes and have had the courage to change my stars. The commitment it takes to learn from past failures and improve upon yourself is not easy to find without some kind of inspiration every now and then. My pursuit is to inspire you from time to time and hopefully help many of you find the courage it takes to improve your own lives. Thank you for reading. Enjoy.

I’ll leave you with my first quote. “It’s a beautiful day to get inspired!”- Chris Seeger

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Christopher Seeger

Just a guy trying to improve his life one day at a time. I push myself at all times to give up the bad habits I have accrued during my life and start new healthy ones. My aim is to pass on the inspiration for others to adopt these healthy habits as well. "It's a beautiful day to get inspired."- Chris